October 13, 2007 – I’ve had Lenore for a weeks. She’s a remarkable pup, and hats off to Gretchen Pinkel for the amazing job she has done with her breeding line, Kee-Pin Labradors of Argyle, N.Y. Lenore went to Art Harvest at Gardenworks with me at 9:30 this morning, and stayed there until closing at 5 p.m. She will be back with me Sunday all day. She slept, cuddled, did her business outside, had no accidents, caused no damage or trouble. She had bursts of chewiness and zooming around, but I got her a stuffed plush bird to chew on and that seemed to keep her happy. She seems to me to be virtually housbroken, though I would still not trust her on rugs and thick carpets, especially those that have had dog smells burrowed into them. Tomorrow Paula is coming to the farm, and I’m eager for her to meet Lenore.
  It’s been a tiring week. She fought the crate noisily for two or three days, then accepted it and has her meals and treats there and goes there when she is annoying or I am busy and can’t watch her. Lenore has been in the car daily, met dogs and all kinds of people, and seems nearly unflappable. A grounded dog. She dozed through almost all of my talk at Art Harvest.
 She is, so far, sociable without being too intrusive. We’ll see. I am working on “come,” “sit” at brief intervals in the morning, when she is focused and before she eats, so she is hungry. At close distances, she is coming reliably. I hold a treat out close, say “Lenore come” and give it to her when she does. This is critical, to repeat this often and positively. She is not to be trusted off leash, as she likes to play cat-and-mouse games, run off and hide beneath cars and trucks. I will not let her off leash for a month or two. At this point, it is critical to give her few opportunities to make mistakes, and many to succeed and be rewarded. Most of the time, she comes and sits for treats. So it was a big first week. She is easy and quiet in the crate, which makes life safer and easier for her and for me. She shows no signs of people fear or dog aggression or anxiety. She reads the cues of other dogs well – it was a big mistake for her to try and chew Rose’s nose this morning. I doubt she will do it again. I stay out of disputes with the other dogs. They have to work it out, unless there is injury or blood. It’s tough for her. Border collies don’t play mouthing and chewing games like Labs do. I have plenty of things for her to chew, and need to work on basics and not push her, as I sometimes do. We are also working on some leash walking. I feel great about the first week. All meals are still in her crate, safer and easier. In all, I give her an A plus, me a B plus. I need to be patient, clear and work on repetitions.